


Thin Walls

by goldenkc



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: College AU, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, Neighbours, Neighbours AU, Skyeward - Freeform, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, drabble prompt, grant ward is a sweetheart and i love him, mention of staticquake, they're just really cute and i miss them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-17 04:49:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14181036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenkc/pseuds/goldenkc
Summary: drabble prompt “we live in adjacent apartments and our bedrooms are on opposite sides of a very thin wall and one night i heard you crying and talked to you through the wall” au





	Thin Walls

Grant has lived in that apartment since he started college four years ago. He moved away from his parents and across the country as soon as he graduated high school. He found a cheap apartment, and the only complaint he has are the horribly thin walls surrounding his bedroom, of all rooms. Though, the cute girl next door is a bonus.

She’s more than just cute-- _cute_ doesn’t suit a beauty like her. Grant had had a glance at the mail on her doorstep one time. Her name is Skye. She has dark brown, almond shaped eyes and mid-length brown hair usually down and in princess curls. She’s usually quiet, almost always home, and smiles when she passes him in the stairwell. 

She has a boyfriend as far as Grant can tell from the noises coming from the other side of his bedroom wall and the chanting of the name Lincoln. As soon as the giggling and moaning start next door, Grant is always sure to grab a pair of headphones or just leave the building for a couple of hours.

He doesn’t say anything because she’s never created a noise problem otherwise. But one day around midnight, he doesn’t need narrow walls to hear the commotion in the next apartment. There’s shouting between Skye and the boyfriend. 

“Then leave!” she shouts before she slams her bedroom door. Next, comes the loud crash of her front door, followed by angry departing footsteps in the hallway.

Grant is in his room, sitting on his bed with a textbook in hand. He can hear soft mutterings before Skye’s bed creaks, and Grant assumes she’d thrown herself atop it.

He doesn’t want to impose--he’s made it his mission to stay out of other people’s business. But when he hears his neighbour crying, he just can’t help himself.

He spins around, sitting on his calves as he faced the wall. He opens his mouth hesitantly, thinking about the consequences before he decides to take his chances. “Skye?”

There is a pause, then, “Uh, yeah?”

“I’m sorry to bother you. Our bedrooms are on opposite sides of this insanely thin wall and I just… are you okay?”

He hears a sniffle and shifting on her bed. She leans her shoulder and head against the wall, and answers, “How much did you hear?”

“Most of it, I think,” he says honestly. “I’m sure my opinion doesn’t mean much, but you’re not in the wrong. If he can’t handle you being busy with school and friends, that’s his problem.”

She scoffs, “Yeah, you’d think.” She sighs and says, “I don’t know how it turned into such a big thing.”

Grant is quiet, waiting to see if she’ll speak again. 

“Whatever. I don’t care anymore,” Skye lies. “I’m sorry you had to hear all that.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” He doesn’t know what else to say, but he doesn’t just want to leave her when she’s obviously still distressed about the situation. “I’m Grant, by the way.”

She chuckles, saying, “Nice to meet you.”

He smiles, leaning his back against the wall. “What program are you in? If you don’t mind me asking,” he says, hoping she’d take the distraction.

“Computer sciences. You?”

“Law.”

“Yeah, you seem the type.”

Ward lets out a laugh, turning his head, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Skye laughs, too—a euphoric sound to his ears. “Nothing bad. You seem like a robot. Law’s a _great_ fit for you.”

“Oh, well, now I’m just insulted,” Grant replies sarcastically.

The woman then invites him over, declaring how strange it is to talk through the wall. They speak for a while--about their friends, their jobs, their classes, their weird professors. It turns out they take the same intro to psych course but had never run into each other because of the massive student count. 

Skye’s only in first year while Grant’s in fourth. Skye learns about Grant’s pressuring family and speaks about her own lack of _any_ family. Grant learns what a genius this woman is and even gets some tips on how to upgrade his computer processor for free. 

The pair had never felt a connection like this before, and Grant is kicking himself for never having had introduced himself prior to this day. 

Fast forward a couple of months and Grant finally works up the courage to ask his neighbour out. They’re sitting at the island in her small kitchen, studying for the psych midterm they have next week.

She laughs at him, saying, “What took you so long?”

A blush creeps up his neck before he laughs along with her, then he says, “I’ve wanted to since the day we properly introduced ourselves. But given the situation, I figured it best to wait.”

Skye reaches her hand up to stroke his cheek with her thumb. “Such a gentleman.” She gives him a soft smile, the kind that reaches her eyes, and it has him awe-struck.

She continues with her highlighting throughout her textbook, and Grant comes to an epiphany. He’s going to marry this girl someday.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, hit that kudos if you liked it :)


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